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The living evidence base for romance scam research

Find the studies, inspect the evidence, understand what is known, and see the questions that still need answers.

We do not host documents. All items link to publisher or repository pages.

Research corpus at a glance

Approved publications
391
Living syntheses
10
Quality-cleared synopses
386
Corpus updated

How RSRC Uses AI

AI helps RSRC organize and summarize research. Outputs may contain errors; verify findings in the linked original source.

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Romance scams in the media

Search online coverage across languages, chart reported themes over time and follow connected stories.

Media reporting, not counts of scams.

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What is a romance scam?

Start with a clear explanation, examples of how scams work, and the differences between related terms.

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See what the evidence says

Read living syntheses that connect findings across publications and identify uncertainties and research gaps.

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Need help or want to report a scam?

RSRC does not accept individual scam reports or provide direct support. Our curated list points to official reporting and support services.

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Research Insights

Read explanations of the findings, follow their sources, and see where the evidence is still limited.

Explore questions in Research Insights
Research Insight Published

How romance scammers exploit trust

Romance scammers can use emergencies or supposed investments to extract money, and some use romantic promises to obtain sexual contact or imagery. Reported cases also involve physical coercion. These studies describe tactics without establishing how common each pathway is or whether awareness lessons prevent harm.

7 min read 19 sources cited in this explanation
Research Insight Published

What can romance-scam prevention achieve?

Participants rated a romance-scam learning tool favorably, and monitored transfers decreased after warning letters. These findings show how people rated a tool and how payments changed after contact—not that either approach prevented financial loss.

6 min read 12 sources cited in this explanation

Library

Recently curated publications

Individual studies and reports recently added to the approved collection.

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Comprehensive Analysis of Online Social Network Frauds

This publication presents a comprehensive analysis of frauds in online social networks (OSNs), focusing on how frauds arise from the open, highly connected nature of OSNs and the diverse ways users interact on platforms...

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Towards Effective Local Financial Cybercrime Detection using Machine Learning

This 2024 study by Dirchaoui and Abarda, presented at the Mediterranean Smart Cities Conference (MSCC), surveys how researchers have used machine learning to detect five financial cybercrimes at the local level: social e...

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Bibliometric Mapping of Scientific Production and Conceptual Structure of Cyber...

This publication presents a neutral, source-grounded synopsis of a bibliometric study on cyber sextortion in cybersecurity. Its stated purpose is to map how research on cyber sextortion has progressed over time, focusing...

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The scammer’s playbook: Exploring the psychological techniques and tactics used...

This study analyzes how scammers use psychological tactics and techniques to conduct cryptocurrency-related social engineering, drawing on 282 victim narratives from California and Wisconsin crypto scam trackers collecte...

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Online Dating

This publication surveys how online environments have shaped romantic relationships since the Internet’s early days, challenging the notion that online ties are inherently shallow or unhealthy. It reviews competing theor...

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An Artificial Intelligence-Driven Temporal Network Analysis of Myanmar’s Cyber S...

This publication presents an AI-assisted, temporal network analysis of Myanmar’s industrialized cyber scam ecosystem, focusing on how propagating linkages among criminals, enablers, and enforcers sustain globally consequ...

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Cyberkriminalität im Kontext von Partnerschaft, Sexualität und Peerbeziehungen:...

This publication is a narrative review that surveys criminological and forensic research from the German-speaking region on cybercrime manifestations that occur in the contexts of partnerships, sexuality, and peer relati...

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About RSRC

Built to make romance scam research usable

Founded by LD Herrera, PhD, RSRC organizes romance scam scholarship into a searchable public library and living evidence syntheses for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the public.

Learn about RSRC and its founder